Athrun's Final Realization
by Jacen Leonhart
Summary: Set 2 years after Gundam SEED Destiny, Athrun receives a special gift from Cagalli and Kira, and makes an important realization. Explores the various aspects of Athrun's personality and what it means to have friends by your side.
1. Chapter 1: The Big Surprise

**Athrun's Final Realization  
****By: Jacen Leonhart**

**Chapter 1: The Big Surprise**

"Come on, Athrun. Hurry up!" Cagalli said excitedly as she half-dragged, half-led a blindfolded Athrun across ORB's military airbase.

"Cagalli, Wait up! Where are we going anyway?!" The navy blue-haired youth asked, panting.

"I told you, this is really important! Just keep walking will you?!" The blond girl replied, laughing softly, her amber eyes twinkling. This was something that she and her twin brother, Kira, had been waiting to show to him for some time now. How he managed to put this all together within the two-and-a-half months Athrun spent recovering in the hospital she would never know, but she was thankful nevertheless. _At least with this, _she thought, her expression hardening, _he'll never feel have to feel sorry for himself again… I hope…_

Athrun however, did not seem to share her enthusiasm. After all, the civil war between ZAFT's renegade FAITH detachment and the supporters of Lacus Clyne, PLANT's current Supreme Chairwoman, had already been concluded months ago. _He_ made sure of that. Not to mention ORB and PLANT – more specifically Lacus and Cagalli themselves – successfully concluded negotiations and signed a treaty to ensure continued diplomatic relations between their two nations. What could be so important for Cagalli to go and drag him all the way out into this sweltering hot airbase? And in a blindfold to boot!

"Cagalli, wait… can't you at least take this darn thing off?" Athrun pleaded after stumbling for the umpteenth time, no thanks to the blindfold. The sand-yellow haired girl's only reply however, was to laugh and tell him to be patient a little longer.

_At least this doesn't seem to be anything urgent_, he thought; urgent at least, by _his_ standards. During the time he had spent in the hospital, he had received no news of any imminent threat to ORB's national security. Nothing serious had happened, apart from Lacus "reprimanding" him for breaking his promise not to self-destruct his Gundam during the end of the last war. Though he still felt his stomach twist at the memory of that pink-haired lady looking down at him at his hospital bed, with her lake-blue eyes flashing angrily, and him losing consciousness at her words and the very sight of her…

Thankfully, Cagalli's voice roused him back to the present, pushing those horrid memories away.

"Here we are!" Cagalli finally said, removing the blindfold over Athrun's eyes.

The bright sunlight his emerald-green eyes like darts, making him squint and wish he had his dark sunglasses with him. When they had adjusted, he saw that they were standing outside a particularly large mobile suit hangar, the type used to store the special units.

Athrun looked at her quizzically. Despite the sweltering heat and his frustration at being dragged almost all the way, his curiosity got the better of him and thus, followed Cagalli inside.

It was dark inside the hangar, save for the dim light, though Athrun could identify the unmistakable gigantic silhouette standing just a few meters in front of them. Despite his uncertainty, he felt his heart skip a beat. _Could it be that the "surprise" that Cagalli's about to show me was actually…?_

But before he could even finish that thought, a familiar – and excited – voice rang out from somewhere.

"Surprise, Athrun!" And the lights were promptly switched on. What he saw made his jaw drop and his eyes widen in surprise.

"That's my...!"

It was a Gundam.

_His_ Gundam.

There was no mistaking that small "V" insignia on its chest and those long plasma cannons mounted on the mobile suit's back; it was definitely his old Savior Gundam.

_But why?_ Athrun thought, _why did Kira and Cagalli have to go through all the trouble to restore _(and from what he saw, even _modify_) – _that thing?_ More importantly, how in the world did they manage to even _obtain_ the broken remains anyway?! Despite the questions running around his head, he could feel that all-too-familiar sharp stab of regret eating at his insides again. He had not forgotten that fateful confrontation in Crete two years ago…

"Do you like it?" Kira asked, that childish look on his face becoming more pronounced. Athrun could see that his childhood friend was evidently excited… and dead tired, judging from the dark circles under those amethyst eyes.

"K-Kira…" Athrun stammered, "…you-you shouldn't have!" It wasn't that he didn't appreciate what his childhood friend did, but Kira really didn't _need_ to go through the trouble, not after Lacus angrily told him that he wouldn't receive any more Gundams for what he did…

"Aww… shucks Athrun," Kira said, laughing as he ruffled his brown hair, still looking excited, seemingly unaware of what his friend meant "It was nothing! Really, I…"

"No, no!" Athrun said, shaking his head, tears were starting to form in his eyes now, "Its – Look!" he added at Kira's puzzled expression, "I don't even deserve to have one after… after I…" _after I blew up my last Gundam…_ He couldn't bear to finish that sentence out loud anymore. What was even more painful for him was that his friends were even burdened by the effort to provide him with this new mobile suit, despite Kira and Cagalli doing it willingly all for him.

Sighing, Kira shrugged and gave his sister a look that said "He's hopeless…" He knew that Athrun preferred not to involve his friends if he could avoid it. He would rather go alone than see anyone get hurt while fighting alongside him. Furthermore, he was not the type that would easily accept lavish gifts of this kind from his friends. But working alone, even for the sake of keeping your friends safe had its limits, especially if you were often forced by circumstances to self-destruct your own mobile suit, leaving you severely injured and possibly, feeling miserable afterward.

Just as Kira was about to step forward and say something, Cagalli stepped in and gave Athrun a hug; something that she rarely had done, despite them spending so much time together nowadays. "There, there. It's alright." She said, her voice surprisingly warm; it reminded Kira of that time when she comforted him this same way aboard the _Archangel_ five years ago.

"Look, Athrun," she said slowly and softly, her amber eyes looking deep into his emerald-green ones, "I know you've always worked hard to protect me and everyone else you care about, and I know how sad you are when you know that there's nothing you can do to help someone, but don't you think I'd feel the same way whenever you risk your life for me?"

"But, Cagalli, I…"

She held a finger to his lips, but instead of giving him that usual piercing look and stern imposing lecture, her eyes – Athrun had just noticed – were full of nothing but anxiety. It felt as if she was _begging _him to listen to her. "Even I feel useless because I haven't been able to help you–no, because I _couldn't _do anything to help you. Can you understand that, Athrun? At least with this, I could…"

"Cagalli…" Athrun said weakly, "protecting you is supposed to be my job. But I…"

At this, Kira put a comforting hand on Athrun's shoulder. He could not stand to see his childhood friend looking so miserable. "Look Athrun," he said, his posture and expression were considerably more serious that was it was a minute ago. "I know you care about us, and I appreciate that. But you could at least rely on us a little more. Don't you think we feel the same way? Not being able to help someone and knowing that there's nothing you can do about it... Don't you think that's the most painful of all? You should know that better that everyone else by now!"

"But, Kira…!"

Why did he have to remind him of that fact? He was not the only one who knew that. Kira and Cagalli had also been placed in helpless circumstances more than once in their lives: Kira not being able to protect those people in that doomed shuttle, Flay getting shot down, Cagalli not being able to stop ORB's soldiers from being slaughtered in Crete, Athrun not being able to protect Lacus because of his injuries, Heine and Nicol… _Yes, I _DO _know that_, _thank you very much_… he thought painfully as he clenched his fist; as if doing so would somehow ease the pain.

"Don't say those things as if you're the only one who understands that!" he shouted, shaking Kira's hand off his shoulder. There was no point in going over painful memories of friends and loved ones they lost during those long years of war.

He looked away from them. Tears welling up in his eyes again as memories of his past mistakes from the last three wars came flooding back to him. _Why didn't they understand?!_ He thought as he clenched his fist. During the first two wars, he thought he was fighting on the right side only to realize too late he was being manipulated. Even though he didn't make that same mistake this time with the last one, he still felt as though he had not achieved anything significant. Despite the fact that peace had settled for now, another war always seemed to break out shortly after. Even though Kira and Cagalli were just trying to help him, what good would it do if it all came to waste again?

"So, why?!"

"Because we're friends, Athrun. It's what we do." Kira said, firmly but gently.

"But…!" He was never able to finish protesting. _Friends?!_

Athrun looked as if he was suddenly doused with ice-cold water: Those were the same words that he had told Kira whenever he would help him with a particularly difficult piece of homework, back during their childhood days on the Moon.

_Because we're friends… It's what we do…_

_Thanks, Athrun! _

_Don't mention it, Kira…_

Athrun gave Kira a surprised look. It was as if he was seeing his best friend in a different light. During the times that Kira cried as a child, it was Athrun who was at his side, comforting him; and now, here in this very hangar, was Kira doing the same thing that _he_ did almost a decade ago. Athrun let out a sigh. Wars certainly had a way of changing people, but Kira seemed to have matured even more than any of them – possibly even more than _him_ to even be able to say something like that.

Suddenly, it became very clear to him: After everything he had gone through during those three wars, his friends were still there with him, at his side. He had friends who cared about him, about how he felt. Looking back, it would seem laughable now at least, to think that he didn't realize this since he was too busy trying to protect them and not get them involved in any of his battles.

He looked at Kira again. The brown-haired Coordinator met Athrun's grateful smile with a look of acknowledgement, thankful that his friend finally realized what he should have all along. He then at looked at Cagalli, whose amber eyes now burned with that blazing look of pure joy Athrun had rarely seen.

The smile on Athrun's face became more pronounced, as if the three of them understood one another without needing to speak. Taking a deep breath, Athrun stroked Cagalli's cheek, she accepted his touch, drawing comfort from it. There was no other reason for her to distance herself from him any longer. She thought that it would have been the best for the both of them that way but she was wrong, for that would have meant ignoring Athrun's pain as well as her own.

Perhaps Lacus was right after all: They needed each other, and if Lacus could have Kira by her side while she ruled as PLANT's Supreme Council Chairwoman, why couldn't it be the same with her and Athrun?

"So," Cagalli asked Athrun, "will you accept it?" motioning towards the Gundam, "and I know this might be sudden but, well," she added tentatively, "ORB's laws allow me to choose a knight of my own from the military, so I was wondering..."

There was no need for her to ask that question already though. Athrun knelt on one knee in front of Cagalli and bowed his head. "Yes, your majesty!" He said happily. "My life is yours for as long as…"

"Athrun!"

This was something that Cagalli always felt so awkward about. Why did he always have to act so… so _knightly?!_

"Oh give him a break will you, Cagalli?" Kira said, laughing, "You should know that Athrun always acts like that. He's quite the gentleman alright!"

"Kira! ... Oh what the heck…" She said. _Might as well not spoil the moment, despite how awkward it is to me as it is_.

"I assume that's a 'yes' then?" She asked, extending her left hand and putting on the most formal tone of voice as she could muster, though she made a mental note to ask Lacus to teach her how to speak more formally someday.

"It is," Athrun said sincerely as he reached out to hold Cagalli's hand and kiss it. But before his lips even touched it, another surprise hit him like a rock to the head: The ring that he had given her almost two years ago was back where it once was! It was unmistakable with that crimson jewel. This time, his eyes almost popped out of his head. "Cagalli! This ring… you…" he spluttered. Of all the surprises today, this one certainly was the most unexpected.

She smiled serenely, "Yes, Athrun, it is." She said as she helped him up to his feet. "I kept it all these years. The same way you did with the Haumea stone I gave you six years ago." "I saw it while you were unconscious at the hospital," she added upon seeing Athrun's shocked look. "It's alright," she assured him, "you can keep it."

"Are you… you sure about this?!" He asked, instinctively clutching the talisman stone hidden underneath his shirt. To his relief, Cagalli didn't even appear angry about this.

"It was a gift." She said, smiling.

"Thanks… you guys…" was all Athrun managed to say. Tears welled up in his eyes again, but these were tears of joy. There was no more need for words at this point as the three of them embraced each other in a group hug.

_This_, Athrun thought, _is _definitely_ the best day of my life_.


	2. Chapter 2: Lacus' Revelation

**Chapter 2: Lacus' Revelation**

"Ummm, guys?" Athrun said nervously as the three of them walked out of the hangar, "I don't mean to sound ungrateful or anything, but I can't exactly promise you that I won't hit the self-detonation switch if I have to. But I'll try to cover the repairs myself if…" His words were cut short: Kira and Cagalli had just looked at each other upon hearing Athrun's words and burst out laughing and rolling on the ground.

"Hey!" He said, blushing in spite of himself. "I'm serious!"

Fighting a huge fit of laughter, Kira clutched his sides. Apparently, Athrun wasn't aware of this mobile suit's one little adjustment. "Oh, you don't have to worry about that one, Athrun," he said, still laughing, "I disconnected the self-detonation device!"

Athrun looked as if his jaw _literally_ fell off his mouth. "You did WHAT?! But… but…" Before he could say anything else though, Cagalli pinched his cheeks from behind.

"There's no way you're blowing up this one, Athrun." she said slyly; that all-too-familiar sadistic grin spreading across her face. "I spent a fortune to get this Gundam repaired, so _do_ take good care of it _alright?_"

"But…!"

"And the next time you decide to risk your life for no apparent reason at all," she continued, stretching Athrun's cheeks even further, "Let me know first so I can be there to haul your sorry butt out! _Got it?!_"

Athrun felt like protesting, but another swift tug on his cheeks silenced him.

"_Promise me!"_

"Uhh… Sure!" Athrun said. It was hard to speak when someone was pinching your cheeks and stretching them to force an unnatural smile. He just couldn't resist Cagalli whenever she did this to him, especially when she flashed that sadistic grin. It always seemed to silence him just as effectively, if not even more so, when she gave him that usual piercing look. _Honestly_, he thought, as he and Cagalli waved goodbye to Kira, _it was one surprise after another. What next? _He had a nasty feeling that this was not yet over…

"Uh, Cagalli? Can you please let go of my cheeks now?"

"Huh? Oh! Sorry!"

* * *

Lacus Clyne calmly sipped her tea, savoring the cool breeze outside Andrew Waltfield's newly opened seaside café. Seated beside her was her fiancée, Kira Yamato, enjoying a cup of the café's signature Mocha Sidamo coffee blend. The brown-haired boy watched as she stared off into the setting sun.

"It's beautiful isn't it?" She asked as she stared off into the horizon.

"Yeah, sure is." came Kira's calm reply. "I'm really starting to miss these sunsets," he added.

"Yes, me too," Lacus agreed, smiling at Kira. "It's strange isn't it? We've only been away from ORB for about two years and yet it feels like an eternity already!" After all, before returning to PLANT, she had spent almost two years of her life in ORB with Kira; right after the first war had ended. Naturally, the country had become almost like a second home to her, so in a way, she did feel a little homesick.

"That's true." He said, glancing at his watch. "I'm thankful you decided we should visit here."

"Oh, don't mention it, Kira." Lacus assured, chuckling softly. "We all needed a break anyway. Besides, we had to check up on Athrun and Cagalli. Speaking of which, how did it go with them?"

Kira's face brightened at that question. "It went way better than I thought it would!" He said happily, recounting what had happened inside the hangar that morning. When he had finished, Lacus looked immensely relived, her lake-blue eyes seemed to sparkle as she thought of their successful attempt at finally bridging the gap between their friends' relationship once and for all.

"Well done!" She said happily, clapping her hands together as Kira reached the part when Athrun finally realized what it really meant to have friends at his side. More importantly, she was happy that Cagalli finally took the initiative to take Athrun back into her waiting arms. "I'm glad that Cagalli finally decided to be true to herself," she added, "I guess some couples need pushing just to get their relationship moving after all. But all's well that ends well, yes?" She finished with a smile.

Kira nodded. Glancing at his watch again, he saw that it was thirty minutes to seven o' clock. Athrun and Cagalli were supposed to meet them here for dinner. _There was still time to chat before they get here_. He thought.

"…Still," Kira began, "I can't believe we managed to pull this off."

"Yes, neither can I!" Lacus said happily. "It must be especially tiring on your part, having to stay up doing all-nighters to work on the Savior." And in a more concerned tone, she asked, "Are you alright?" as she leaned closer to stroke his hair.

Kira accepted the gesture gratefully. Exhaustion was an understatement of how Kira felt; the moment Lacus picked him up from the airbase, he immediately fell into a deep sleep on the way back to the mansion shared by Murrue Ramius, her husband Mu La Flaga, and former ZAFT Commander Andrew Waltfield. It took the two men to carry Kira up to his room, where he spent the rest of the day sleeping. But right now, he had a more pressing concern. The problem was how to tell Lacus about it without making it sound more serious that what it actually was.

She seemed to sense Kira's concern. As she looked at him, Kira could see the anxiety in her eyes. "Kira?" she asked, "What's wrong?" she asked; a slight hint of worry in her voice.

"Well…" Kira said tentatively, tapping the tips of his forefingers together. "Don't take this the wrong way Lacus. It's not that I don't exactly like what you did to Athrun but… No! It's nothing serious!" He added quickly seeing her worried look.

"Then, please do tell me," she implored, her eyes awash with concern. "I promise not to act surprised", she assured.

"Okay…" Kira said, still tapping his forefingers nervously as he spoke. "It's just, well… don't take this the wrong way, I mean – you did great! But… you know something?"

Lacus shook her head, but somehow, she seemed to sense what he meant to say.

"You know Lacus… you can be really scary sometimes…" Kira explained nervously, pressing the tips of his forefingers together as he spoke. The last thing he wanted to do was hurt Lacus' feelings unnecessarily. It was true that Lacus "reprimanding" Athrun was nothing more that a ruse meant to make Cagalli worry about him. But for Lacus pretending to be infuriated, she made it look unsettlingly _sincere_.

"Oh!" She said, laughing nervously. "Was that a bit too much?"

"Well, not exactly but… I'm a little worried about what Athrun might feel when he sees you again." He explained.

"_A bit too much" was another understatement_, Kira thought, remembering what had happened the night Lacus "reprimanded" Athrun in that dark hospital room, at midnight…

Lacus couldn't help but suppress a giggle. This, after all, was by far the boldest plan she had ever made so far. True, it cost Athrun and Cagalli some pain, but at the rate their relationship was going, it seemed that they needed some… _pushing_ in the right direction. And from the way things went that morning, the results were worth it, judging from what Kira had told her.

"I understand how you feel." Lacus said as she put her hand on Kira's, "I know Cagalli would hate me for putting Athrun through all this, but still..."

"Lacus, are you sure…?"

"I know you have your doubts, Kira" She continued as she serenely looked into his eyes, "but we really had to do something about those two. That's why I asked them to meet us here. We have to at least tell them everything, right?"

"I don't think that's necessary…" said a cold voice behind them.

Kira looked as though someone had suddenly pointed a gun to the back of his head. He quickly turned around: Cagalli was there, and so was Athrun! Judging from Athrun's shocked look, they had been listening to his conversation with Lacus - and heard enough: Cagalli was brandishing a clenched fist, her eyes were covered in shadow, and those veins at the back of her hand and on her temple were bulging as well. Athrun on the other hand, was staring at the two, his jaw hanging wide open, apparently dumbstruck.

"Oh my!" Lacus exclaimed. "It looks like our little secret is out in the open…" To add to Kira's surprise, the pink-haired lady did not even show the slightest hint of panic, in fact, she looked as though she _expected _it.

"Kira… Lacus… I oughtta…" Cagalli said menacingly as she pulled back her sleeve and advanced on the two. _How could they?!_ She thought as Kira stood up and began spluttering excuses and Athrun started to restrain her. She knew that Lacus meant well, but after her appearance at Athrun's hospital room almost killed him from the shock! _Why did she have to go that far?!_

Cagalli glared at the pink-haired lady. She was seriously contemplating the possibility of sending _both_ her brother and that devious fiancée of his to the hospital right now. How dare she try to hurt Athrun behind her back! Was she trying to make her worry about him? _Well,_ Cagalli thought, _she's going to get what she wanted alright_… _If only I could break free of Athrun's grip!_

"Lemme _go_!" She shouted. "I'll kill her!"

"Cagalli, wait!" Athrun pleaded as he struggled to restrain her. "Let me handle this, okay?"

"No, no, _no_! Let me _go_!" She screamed as she inched her way closer to Lacus and cocked her fist back, prompting Kira to shield Lacus.

Lacus put a hand on Kira's shoulder and gave him a reassuring look, motioning him to step aside. Her face was calm but determined as she looked Cagalli straight in the eyes.

"I apologize for putting you and Athrun through all this, Cagalli" she said firmly but gently, taking an apologetic bow. "But this was necessary."

"Necessary my foot!" Cagalli snapped back, struggling against a protesting Athrun. "How dare you…!"

Lacus stepped forward and looked straight into Cagalli's eyes. "I don't mind if you hit me." She said sternly, "I probably deserve it for interfering in your relationship with Athrun anyway. But let me ask you this: Did you even realize how hurt Athrun felt when you left him with Meyrin?"

The pink-haried lady's question stung her just as effectively as a full-armed slap to the face. It was painful to admit, but Lacus was right: Back then, the reason why she didn't want to burden him was because she knew her duties as ORB's Chief of State would keep them away from each other… At least that was what she told herself that time. Although looking back, it now seemed like a flimsy excuse. It wasn't even an excuse. What was even worse was that no matter how she tried to hide it, Cagalli knew how sad Athrun felt at not being able to stay at her side.

"You're right…" Cagalli admitted sadly, relaxing her shoulders as Athrun released her. She looked away, unable to face Lacus. In a way, she knew she had to be thankful. If it wasn't for her, she didn't know how she could muster the courage to even face Athrun again.

"I guess… I owe you one then…" Cagalli muttered finally after a long pause, but Lacus put a hand on her shoulder and shook her head.

"We're friends remember?" Lacus said as she embraced her, "You don't owe me anything".

Being in someone's debt was something she always found bothersome, especially if it was a close friend whom she owed a favor. But in this instance, with Lacus comforting her and Athrun now at her side once more, this was something she felt grateful for. It was funny how friends can help you out sometimes. Yes, they sometimes need to slap some sense into you if they needed to, but it just goes to show how much they care. _I guess this is what friends do…_ She thought.

"Thanks…" It was all Cagalli could manage to say. It was all she needed to say.


	3. Epilogue: The Resurrected Wings

**Epilogue: The Resurrected Wings**

The sun rose slowly from the horizon, casting its light on the small fleet of ORB's battleships stationed a short distance off the coastline. Aboard the _Archangel_, Athrun sat in the cockpit of his new Gundam making the final adjustments before its scheduled test flight, a few minutes from now.

"Hey, Athrun," Kira's voice came over the comm, "Everything alright?" He sounded like an artist anxiously awaiting a critic's opinion on his latest masterpiece. Suppressing a smirk, Athrun replied shrewdly, "I'll save it until after we launch, alright?"

"Awww…!" Kira moaned, his impatience becoming evident.

"Now, now, Kira" Lacus chimed in, "Be patient and let him finish, okay?" Sighing, the brown-haired Coordinator agreed albeit reluctantly and switched off the comm.

Athrun couldn't help but laugh at Kira's childish nature. He knew that he was excited to see his own creation finally take to the skies but there was something else nagging on the back of Athrun's mind right now: A conversation he had with Cagalli the other day…

– – -

"Eternal Savior?" Athrun asked her.

Cagalli nodded. "That's right," she said, looking at the Gundam. "That's the name of this new mobile suit we built for you," she said proudly. "What do you think?"

Athrun cast an observing glance at the Gundam, taking in every detail. He just had to appreciate Kira's handiwork on this. "Pretty impressive," he said finally, turning to face her, "But what's with the name?" he asked. True, the name "Savior" in itself was pretty impressive and adding "Eternal" made it sound even better. But why?

Stifling a giggle, Cagalli simply said, "Because you've always been a savior, Athrun."

Out of all the answers that he was expecting, this was not it. Such was his shock that Athrun actually took a few steps back. _ME?! A savior?! No way!_

"Oh come on now, don't give me that look!" Cagalli said. Why did Athrun always have to act so modest?

"But, but, Cagalli," Athrun protested, "I'm…"

"…Nowhere near a savior?" Cagalli asked, cutting him short. "Maybe you haven't realized this Athrun, but you've saved the world more times that you even realize. Of course you are a savior!"

"You mean those things I did to end the last three wars?" He asked, "But I was just…"

"Doing what you thought was necessary?" Cagalli cut through him again, her voice rising. She really did know him all too well, even though they were apart for so long.

"Maybe you haven't realized this but you were the one who destroyed the GENESIS in the first war." She began, "Then you also stopped the Requiem not long after that" – she added before Athrun could speak up – "and just recently, you were the one who destroyed the SUPERNOVA! And in case you haven't noticed, all of those were superweapons that were about to destroy the planet!"

"Look, I know you have your doubts" she said, finally lowering her tone "but the fact is… you were the one who saved the world… and ORB too…"

This fact also his Athrun right between the eyes. There was no denying that what Cagalli said was true, now that she mentioned it… Granted, Kira was the one who always got to finish off the man behind the chaos, but he never got to destroy the actual weapon the way Athrun always did. That means…

"So, you understand now?" Cagalli asked him finally.

Athrun nodded, smiling at her.

– – -

_She was right_, Athrun thought as preparations for the Gundam's launch sequence were carried out. There was no denying that fact that he had prevented the world's destruction not once, but _thrice_ now. _Maybe this Gundam's name was really appropriate for its pilot_ Athrun thought as the Archangel opened its starboard launching bay and activated its catapult.

"This is it, Athrun." Kira said over the comm. "You ready?"

"As I'll ever be" Athrun replied. "Let's get started, shall we?"

"Roger that!"

"Oh, and Kira…"

"Eh?"

"Thanks… for everything."

"Don't mention it"

"Launch preparations complete," Meyrin announced happily. "X-27A Eternal Savior, launch when ready!"

Athrun took a deep breath and focused his sights on the runway ahead. _That's right…_ he thought to himself as the launch signal gave the 'all green', _Cagalli was right_…

_I am a Savior!_

"Athrun Zala, Savior! Launching!"


End file.
